Words Matter–The English Language Holds Women Back

Crina and Kirsten Get to Work

The words we use shape the impressions, attitudes and opinions we hold about women. According to new research, language also impacts the jobs we apply for, the amount of money we earn and the way we’re evaluated at work. In other words–language holds women back.

DISCLAIMER: This episode addresses language and gender - language also impacts race and other aspects of identity, including sexuality and non-binary gender identity. These are real issues, but there is not enough research nor do we have the expertise on the topics, so those issues are not addressed in this episode.

SHOW NOTES

Phrases like the girls out front, man up and drama queen are demeaning and degrading to women. Other feminine words have been made derogatory - such as the word mistress, which used to define a role in a household and is now a word to describe a woman engaging in infidelity.

Another impact on language is whether or not it is gendered. Languages like French and Spanish are gendered, meaning that some words are designated as feminine or masculine For example, in Italian an apple is feminine and bread is masculine - not the case with English. Why is that and what is the impact? Owen Ozier and Pamela Jakiela conducted a study for the World Bank, which analyzed over 4000 languages and found that 38% of those languages are gendered - and for women who speak primarily a gendered language are 15% less likely to participate in the workforce as compared to those women who speak a non-gendered language - that is 125 million women. They also found people who speak a gendered language are more likely to agree with statements like “On the whole, men make better business executives than women do” or “When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women.” And women hold these attitudes just like men.

In addition to participation in the workforce, language impacts how we attract candidates, advancement and retention for women in the workforce.

The language in job descriptions can attract - or not - women to apply for jobs. It may be hard to believe that simple changes to language could lead to more women in the workplace. Instead of male coded words like “dominate,” “competitive” and “drive” - words like “team” and “interpersonal” and phrases like “we will support you with the tools you need to do your job” can attract women to apply.

We also see gender bias in the language in performance reviews, which affects retention and promotion. In a study involving military performance evaluation, researchers concluded more negative characteristics were recorded for women than for men. They also found that the negative characteristics attributed to women were about their personality rather than their performance.

So what to do about this? Be specific, and careful and thoughtful; use tools like Ongig to evaluate the language.

Gendered Languages May Play a Role in Limiting Women’s Opportunities, New Research Finds

masculine- and feminine-coded words

The coded language that holds women back at work - BBC Worklife